Two and a half hours and four trains. Perhaps one of the greatest commuting efforts I have ever accomplished. There was no way I was going to miss out. It was the last opportunity I had.
Purple, red, brown, and pink. The "L" finally spit me out on California Ave. I walked into "forbidden ground" as my father called it. He is an urban developer, an urban connoisseur, constantly warning me about the unearthed inferno of Chicago. But he would commonly make an argument that the small lot behind our condominium is unsafe at a certain hour.
I traveled a bit farther than he would have expected and what was revealed to me, in the physical nature of the streets before me, was an adequate description of what he so annoyingly explained to me. It was a geographical carcass. Silent yet wildly disheveled with abandoned homes, creaking industrial hangers and anonymous silhouettes loitering on corners. I could not help but feel a reflexive chill on the nape of my neck. As if my body was sensing a hand getting closer and closer to grabbing me.
As I traveled further in and followed the temperamental Google Maps app on my phone the scenery became more familiar. Like a sparse wild west version of Knickerbocker Avenue, streets were lined with taquerias, iglesias, and bodegas.
After another five or ten minutes, I finally reached the house. The sharp clatters of gathering beer bottles and the hums of slurring conversations echoed from the back lot. A pleasantly muffled boom of drums and electric guitars grew louder and as I walked towards the crowded lot through a damp alley aside the house. By the time I reached the crowd the sole of my Doc Marten's were caked with soggy cigarette buds and marinated in spilled liquor. I had arrived at a time of free form fun as eyes and smiles followed me as if I returned from a brief hiatus to rejoin them.
I was able to slip in the back door with Lincoln still in hand. A smiling, pink-eyed man opened he door as he exited and as I entered I noticed a coffee table vendor selling beer for only a buck. I had five reasons to take the opportunity right there in my pocket but the environment was still foreign to me. I climbed a couple of steps and dodged a couple of swinging plastic cups to an elevated brick red living room lit with leftover Christmas lights and decorated with a seemingly ceremonious upside down American flag. The room was encased with leather covered, metal studded punks, emos dressed in grey scales and decadent art students.
Sweaty blonde and brunette manes slapped against the air as the band played a sprawling, spellbinding rendition to finish their amazing set. I had to join them as I weaseled my way to the front.
The band consisted of bearded husky teens, probably from the garages of the outer suburbs, uniformed in Korn t-shirts.Their violent faces, drenched locks, and flexed forearms matched the aggressiveness of their music. The crowd was turned on and reacted vehemently as they bobbed and chanted the lyrics. A community entertaining itself.
An acoustic duo played next. They must have been pretty popular as their presence was well received. Sharing Goose Island and Pabst Blue Ribbon with crowd and cracking jokes. They were not nearly as talented but their nostalgic shoegazing sound unified the crowd into a campfire-like environment. I was able to mingle with my contemporaries in between sets. Mainly undergrads from local art schools like SAIC and Columbia College. We exchanged brief and broken conversations about the show but mostly smiles. A bit more comforting than the house parties or DIY shows in Brooklyn.
It was a warm experience. I felt as if I had done this a million times before and encountered friends I periodically see. It revealed a more intimate and yet stereotypical punk scene in the best way, but with an energy and vibe that could rival New York.
Here are the bands that played in the show:
RADIO SHAQ:
https://radioshaq.bandcamp.com/releases
NOMAR:
https://nomarchicago.bandcamp.com/
GLAMOUR HOTLINE
http://glamourhotline.bandcamp.com/
DAYMAKER:
https://daymakerchi.bandcamp.com/
MTVGHOSTS:
https://mtvghosts.bandcamp.com/
